The woodwind family consists of a diverse group of instruments, each with a distinctive sound and range. Instruments belonging to this group are (or were) made of wood and use wind to produce their sound.
Characterized by hollow tubes with holes along the length, opened or closed by using fingers or small pads attached to a key mechanism to alter the pitch of notes, they add a variety of timbres to the orchestra.
Each instrument can normally produce only one note at a time. Notes are articulated by the player’s tongue.
With one exception, the Flutes, woodwind instruments require reeds to produce their distinctive sound.
